U.S. CBD market could grow to $15B in five years, says Piper Jaffray

The FDA's previous decision that red yeast rice is an acceptable dietary supplement with naturally occurring levels of Monacolin K may set precedent for full spectrum or broad spectrum hemp extract that contains cannabidiol, or CBD, Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Lavery tells investors in a research note. However, CBD is the active ingredient in FDA-approved Epidiolex, which complicates its regulatory treatment, the analyst adds. He notes that because CBD is in an approved drug, the FDA rules do not allow it to be marketed as a dietary supplement. Nonetheless, given the red yeast rice precedent, the analyst "would logically expect" the FDA to allow products with hemp extract to be marketed as over-the-counter dietary supplements, "even if its views on CBD isolate may be less predictable." Lavery believes the U.S. CBD market could be $3B-$6B in 2020, and grow to $8B-$15B in five years. The analyst has Overweight ratings on both Canopy Growth (CGC) and Tilray (TLRY).